Author talks book, segregation Tuesday at UNCP

PEMBROKE — Local author Lena Epps Brooker will be featured during a Women’s History Month program on Tuesday.

The event will take place at 6:30 p.m. in the Museum of the Southeast American Indian Assembly Room, located in the Old Main Building at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke. The program is free, and the public is invited.

Brooker will discuss and read excerpts from her newly published book “Hot Dogs on The Road: An American Indian Girl’s Reflections on Growing up Brown in a Black and White World.”

Brooker is an American Indian of Sappony, Cherokee and Lumbee heritage. She was born and raised in Robeson County. Her father, Frank Howard Epps, was principal at Magnolia School for more than 30 years. Her mother, Grace Smith Epps, served as supervisor of Indian Schools for the Robeson County Board of Education.

“The book is a collection of personal stories about the pain, tears and triumphs I experienced growing up as an American Indian girl in the Jim Crow era of segregation in Robeson County and later in Raleigh, where I attended college,” Brooker said. “The unconditional love and support I received from my parents, Frank and Grace Smith Epps, is a thread that is found throughout the book. Their hope of change, based on faith and fortitude in the face of injustice, provided me with the foundation to persevere when faced with legal discrimination and societal isolation.

“The book is an affirmation of the struggles of my people, American Indians, in North Carolina, as many others had similar experiences.”

Brooker will be signing all books purchased at the event.

The program is co-sponsored by the Mary Livermore Library, the Office for Diversity and Inclusion, Olivia Oxendine, and the Museum of the Southeast American Indian.